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Community 5K honors teen who died at 16, promotes mental health awareness

Community 5K honors teen who died at 16, promotes mental health awareness
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RICHMOND, Va. β€” The Cameron K. Gallagher Foundation's Speak Up 5K, a community celebration to promote teen mental health, will take place next month.

The event was once a dream for Cameron, whose goal was to inspire others with laughter and fun and let teenagers who struggle with anxiety and depression know they're not alone.

Tragically, Cameron's life was cut short at just 16 years old when she died from an undiagnosed heart condition in 2014.

Her family, friends, and community have held the uplifting Speak Up 5K in her honor ever since.

CBS 6 spoke with one of the organizers, Catie-Reagan King, who says letting kids know they are not alone is especially important in the age of social media.

"Now you're constantly on, and it feels like kids constantly have to have a filter over them, whether that's a physical filter or just a mask that they're wearing. And that's really hard to see. And I've seen how much it is affecting kids in their confidence and in their ability to advocate for themselves," King said.

If you want to sign up to walk or run, you can do so now by clicking here.

This year's event returns to Byrd Park on September 6. It starts at 9 a.m.

CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.

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